 | | | Swimmers prepare for the Lafayette Swim Conference and Orinda Moraga Pool Association All-Conference meets the first two weekends in August. | | | | | | Early August means time to head to the pool for Lamorinda swimmers. As the summer draws to a close, the Lafayette Swim Conference and the Orinda-Moraga Pool Association wrap up their seasons with All-Conference meets.
The Lafayette Swim Conference will host its third annual swim meet at Acalanes on Aug. 2-3. Springbrook has taken the title the last two years, and it will be looking to nab a third.
Since its creation in 2012, LSC has grown to include six clubs from Lafayette and Pleasant Hill. Last year, over a thousand swimmers jammed the pool for the two-day event.
While the meet serves as a qualifier for the Contra Costa County Meet, organizers emphasize a friendly, fun atmosphere. The event is as much about swimming as it is about celebrating team success. Be on the lookout for car-paint and decorations proclaiming loyalty to Dolphins, Hogs, Makos, and Rays. However, since most participants go to school together, viewers often find swimmers cheering for friends, even if they are on other teams.
Following the LSC tournament, OMPA will host its 58th annual championship meet at Campolindo on Aug. 8-10. A summer institution, the Moraga Town Council has issued a proclamation naming Moraga "Swimtown USA" for the three-day event.
The OMPA meet boasts over 1,800 swimmers and 5,000 entries from the nine participating clubs in Orinda and Moraga. It is one of the largest recreational meets in the country. With a history of producing world-class swimmers, including Olympians like Peter Varellas and Heather Petri, the meet breeds competition. Swimmers fight to take down meet records and earn berths to the Contra Costa County Meet.
The meet is not without fun, though, and colorful displays of team spirit and parental pride can usually be spotted throughout the two communities as the excitement begins to build in the days leading up to the big weekend. C. Mitchell
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA